BP Chats

I'm surprised you didn't put Brian Barton on that well-read list. His mind is reportedly ... interesting.
But how about the other extreme? I once read that the ideal athlete, for coachability purposes, has "slightly above average" intelligence. The reasoning is that the very bright ones may resist coaching because of their own ideas, and the dim ones never "get" what they're supposed to be taught. Does that fit your observations? Without naming names, have you ever dealt with players who left you thinking, "Man, how can somebody this dumb ever play major-league baseball?"(Bill from New Mexico)

Barton is absolutely someone who belongs on such a list. This is a great example of: I wish more people sent in questions ahead of time so I could think about my answers rather than just respond off the top of my head.

Have I ever walked away thinking,"Man, how can somebody this dumb ever play major-league baseball?" I've walked away thinking someone isn't a MENSA cnadidate, but hell, being dumb might sometimes help you play baseball. Or even pretending that you're dumb. Dustin Pedroia might fit that category. He gives a lot of mundane non answers to questions and claims to pay zero attention to stats. Bullcrap. Dustin Pedroia knows every one of his numbers short of maybe VORP. (David Laurila)